Joachim Löw wants footballers to do more to help the underprivileged

German football coach Joachim Löw has kicked off his World Cup preparations with an exclusive chat in south-west German street paper Trott-war.

He took questions from staff and vendors at the publication, which is a member of the global network of street papers that also includes The Big Issue. He was quizzed on everything from his on-pitch tactics to his off-field approach to charity.

Ahead of the reigning world champions opener against Mexico in Moscow on June 17, Löw revealed that he is keen to see the players in the international set-up, including the final 23 he announced on Monday, pitch in to help the less fortunate.

�ǩ�Ǫ #DieMannschaft ⭐⭐⭐⭐⏳#ZSMMNpic.twitter.com/vTjvfLhTdS

— germanfootball_dfb (@DFB_Team_EN) June 5, 2018

“I’m convinced that our players and coaches are strongly engaged. There are many players with us who have some charitable trusts, and there are others, who do not have their own foundations, but help behind the scenes,” said the 58-year-old coach, in response to a question from Heinz Oehme of Spende Dein Pfand – a plastic bottle deposit scheme.

“Both are completely plausible to me. I don’t have a foundation and wouldn’t like to make my help public. I think giving support is a private matter.”

The debate over the size of footballer’s pay packets is just as hotly contested in Germany as it is in the UK, it seems.

Trott-war vendor Heinz Gau put the question of whether the players’ salaries are set according to performance to the coach – as is often the case outside the football bubble.

But with 3.2 billion people set to tune into the World Cup in Russia, Löw insists that it is only fair that the stars of the show receive the majority of the cash swilling around the beautiful game.

“Being dependent on performance is a difficult concept. There are players who fill stadiums across the world and have great charisma. But one must also consider: It is people, and not machines, who call up the same performances three times a week,” he said.

“It’s also important for me in this context that money is also generated seriously. Football has become a big industry in which many people have found jobs, and also in which a lot of money is being moved.

“And one thing is also clear: there are players who take centre stage. Therefore, they should also be entitled to a large proportion of these earnings.”

Unexpected refreshments at training today �ȅ#DieMannschaft#ZSMMNpic.twitter.com/BkDFlEe5SL

— germanfootball_dfb (@DFB_Team_EN) June 5, 2018

If there is a singular feature of Löw’s 12-year reign as German national boss that has attracted his attention then it is his dress sense.

With co-ordinated outfits across his backroom staff, his style and panache on the sidelines inspired volunteer Inge Klose to ask how important Löw’s appearance is to him and how he keeps his signature hair do in check.

“In the job as national coach, appearance is not the most important thing, but it’s also not completely unimportant,” he revealed.

“We represent a club with six million members – and also the country a little. We emit an image – and that should to some extent be right. The coach is also dressed accordingly. The hairdo? It’s naturally a part of the look.”

Main image: Uwe Kraft/imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock